Railway signal-torpedo



F. BUTCHER.

RAILWAY SIGNAL TORPEDO.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.2?, 1920.

1,385,312. Patented July 19, 1921.

to a. torpedo havin UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK BUTCHER, 0F VEBSAILLES, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO CENTRAL RAIL- WAY SIGNAL COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF new messy.

RAILWAY SIGNAL-TORI'EDO.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J ily 19, 1921,

Application filed December 27, 1920. Serial No. 433,372.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK DU'roHn-n, a citizen of the United States, residing at Versailles, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Signal- Torpedoes, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in railway. signal torpedoes, which carry a rail-'attachin member for attaching it to the head of a ra' One object of my present invention is to attach a rail'engaging member to a flat rec tangular torpedo case, so that the case supported on the head of the rail 1n a diagonal position, whereby a corner of the case 1s presented to the wheel of the locomotive or car, which has the advantage of not presenting an elongated upright wall of the case at right angles to the track, to be hit by the wheel of the locomotive and, therefore, in this latter previous arrangement is more liable tobe knocked on of the rail. I Another ob'ect of my invention is to apply the diagonal arrangement of the rail-engaging member mentioned in the above ob ect, a case composed of a sheet ofpaper or her, which is wrapped around the explosive charge and also around the rail-engaging member.

A further object of my invention is to apply the above-mentioned diagonal arrangement of the rail-engaging member to a torpedo case made up of a sheet of paper or fiber which is wrapped around the explosive charge and embraces the rail-engaging member and a clip which serves to clamp the last folds of the case in closed positions and thereby clamp the rail-engaging member to the case.

Further objects of my invention will appear from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a torpedo embodying my present improvement.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of my present improvement.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the case before the last folds are placed in final posltion.

Fig. 4 is an exaggerated cross-sectional view on the line 4-4: of Fig. 1of my improved torpedo, showing the folds of the case.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the clip which attaches tl1e1rail-engaging memberto the case. i

Referring now to the drawings, 1 is the case of my improved torpedo and 2 the ex-' plosive charge therein. The case 1 is composed of a suitable shaped sheet of paper or her, which is wrapped aroundthe explosive charge 2, making a plurality of folds 3. The

sheet is so folded that there are two ex-' tended ends 4 and 4' of the folds, which are 4 folded over the end 4'. It will be observed that this forms a flat rectangular case and that the rail-engaging member extends diagonal to thecase, whereby when the torpedo is applied to the head of a rail, it is in diagonal relation thereto, so that two of its corners extend longitudinally the rail. This presents a corner of the case to be first engaged by the wheel of a locomotive ,or car, making it less liable tobe knocked off of the rail, than if therail-attaching member were connected with the case to extend at right angles. In this latter previously arranged relation of the strap to the rectangular case, a wall of the case extends at right angles to the rail and presents a long vertical wall to be struck by the wheel, which delivers a considerably greater blow. to the case than where the corner is presented for the wheel to strike.

It is well known to those skilled in this art, that torpedoes are frequently knocked off the track by the wheel of the locomotive without being exploded, by reason of the blow of the wheel to the vertical wall of the torpedo case. By presenting only the corner of a rectangular case, the blow of the wheel is greatly reduced and it is found in practice of great advantage in preventing the torpedo from being knocked off the rail.

So far as this diagonal arrangement of the rail-engaging member in respect to the torpedo case is concerned, it is immaterial how it is fastened in that position to the case, and it may be attached in various ways.

However, I have here shown a very effective manner of attaching the rail-engaging member in this diagonal relation, and it consists in providing a metal clip 7 in the form of a strip of pliable sheet metal. This strip .is longer than the width of the torpedo case and extends transversely of the central portion of the explosive containing part of the case, as shown in Fig. 3, with its ends 8, extending beyond the sides of the case, and the rail-engaging member 5 is placed on this clip in diagonal relation, as also shown in Fig. 3. The ends 4 and 4: of the case are then-folded overthe explosive containing part 6, as before described. After these ends 4 and 4 are so folded, the ends 8 of the clip are. doubled over the edges of these folds and clamp them and the rail-engaging member 5 togetherand hold them tightly in their arranged positions.

After the torpedo is so constructed and arranged,'it is subjected to a suitable-waterproofing compoundwhich is common to this art. p

For the purpose of assisting in'positioning 'the clip .7 and rail-'engagingmember during their'assembling, andholding them in their clamped positions, I provide the clip 7 with a pointed projection!) to enter a depression 10 inthe rail-engaging member 5. Where the rail engaging member 5;is composed of the usual lead strap, as here shown, the strap is'p'ressed'oli the'projection causing it to indent the strap. If, however, the rail-enj; gaging member is composed of spring metal,

it will be provided'with a cavity or depreslsionto receive the projection ofthe clip.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is p 1. The combination with an angular shapedtorpedo case, composed of a folded ranged transversely to the charge containing portion of'the case, and a rail-engaging member engaging the clip and arranged diagonally to the case and the clip, the ends of the clip clan'iping the case for holding the rail-engaging member thereto.

3. The combination with a rectangular shaped torpedo having a case formed of a sheet folded around the explosive charge, a rail-engaging member located between the explosive containing portion of the ease and the final folds thereof, and means for holding the folds in their folded positions.

4. The combination with a rectangular shaped torpedo having a case composed of a sheet wrapped around an explosive charge, of a rail-engaging member located in a diagonal position to the case and between the explosive containing portion and the final folds of the sheet, and means for securing the final folds of the case and holding the rail-engaging member thereto.

5. The combination with a rectangular shaped torpedo, having a case composed of a sheet wrapped around an explosive, of a clip extending across the explosive containing portion, and a railengaging member extending diagonally across the clip and the said explosive containing portion of the case, the final folds of the case embracing the clip and the rail-engaging member, and. the ends of the clip clamping the edges of the final folds in their folded positions and also holding theraiLengaging strap.

6. The combination with a rectangular shaped torpedo having a case composed of a sheet folded around an explosive charge, of a clip and a rail-engaging member located between the final folds of the sheet, the ends of the clip clamping the said final folds, the rail-engaging member extending diagonally across the clip and the case, the clip and the rail-engaging member having respectively an intermediate rejection and a cavity, the parts combined or the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto allix my signature.

FRANK BUTCHER. 

